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the-college-of-whispers · 2 years

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Daedra, Divine, and Undeath

by Palel Jorian, Necromancy Master of the College of Whispers and Fasti Silver-Tongue, Scholar of the College of Whispers

It is very much worth noting that being undead is generally frowned upon in wider Tamriellic society, regardless of whether you’re a shambling zombie, a flesh-less skeleton, or a suave vampire. There are a rare few post-expired persons who have been able to blend more seamlessly into society.

Having said that, most of the Eight Divines are very anti-undead – or, in some cases, more specific in their detestation. There are also many fascinating notes about the undead when compared to different Daedric Princes. This paper hopes to shine light on such a dark topic.

Molag Bal, as the originator of vampirism, is naturally noted as very pro-undead. Beyond being the Daedric Prince of Domination and Rape and the Father of Vampires, he is also the patron of the Order of the Black Worm, an order that wields necromancy in his name. This cult was once led by the Aldmer lich known as Mannimarco, who has also been worshiped as a god (though whether or not he was is a matter of great debate).

An unexpected entry is the Daedric Prince Sheogorath. Despite not being traditionally associated with necromancy, it has been documented that his Gatekeeper of the Fringe – a series of gigantic guardians that protect the Gates of Madness in Sheogorath’s realm of the Shivering Isles – is a powerful undead known as a Flesh Atronach.

The Daedric Prince Sanguine appears in this list of pro-undead Daedra, but only in the form of the Khajiiti god Sangiin. The Blood Cat, as he is known, was the one that gave vampirism to the Khajiit as a form of temptation. Khajiiti vampire clans worship Sanguine as the giver of their dark natures.

Namira, Daedric Prince of Ancient Darkness and the Lady of Decay, has been historically known to favor vampires. It’s unknown if she has any further connection to the undead of Nirn beyond that.

Clavicus Vile is the Daedric Prince of Trickery and Bargains. It is said that he fulfilled a deal with vampires to help them blend into society better. There is also a story of him turning a tribe of Kothringi into undead and has “cured” vampire worshipers (with death). It’s pretty ambiguous about whether or not he cares about the undead just because they’re undead – rather, the interest seems to be in the usual thing he worries about, that being how he can make a deal that he wins in the end.

Similarly, Hircine has been known to use undeath as a revenge curse. The Daedric Prince of the Hunt is believed to be connected to the Noxiphilic Sanguivora strain of vampirism, but this theory originates from a piece of fiction known as “Seventeen Tastes of Infamy” and was popularized by Cinna Scholasticus, who is infamous for his sensationalism.

Finally among the ambiguous Daedric Princes is Peryite, the Daedric Prince of Natural Order and Pestilence. A recipe for summoning incense includes vampire dust. It’s unknown if this is because he favors vampires as the spreaders of disease or dislikes them for another reason.

Continuing the theme of Daedric Princes but pivoting into the list of gods that detest the undead, we have Meridia, the Prince of Life and Lady of Light. She has a well-documented hatred of the undead and is known to give the Daedric Artifact Dawnbreaker to mortals to vanquish the undead in her name. She is also the patron of the Purified, immortals (or undead, it’s very unclear) who serve her unquestioningly to carry out her will.

Azura, Daedric Prince of Dusk and Dawn and the Goddess of Twilight, has historically had her vampirism-afflicted followers killed to bring them the peace of death.

Finally, Vaermina (the Prince of Dreams and Nightmares) has ordered liches killed and is rumored to have a cure for vampirism. Admittedly this report comes from barely-preserved records of the Nerevarine in 3E 427 and is severely lacking in detail.

None of the Eight Divines are known to favor the undead, and four specifically detest the undead: Arkay, Dibella, Stendarr, and Zenithar.

Arkay is the God of the Cycle of Brith and Death whose priests are staunch opponents of necromancy and the undead alike. The teachings of Dibella, Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Affection, agree with the teachings of Arkay that vampires have impure spirits, and discourages love between the living and the undead.

Stendarr’s faithful are known to hunt down four Abominations defined by Vinicius Imbrex, Archbishop of Chorrol between 1E 1051 and 1E 1087. These four Abominations are the Daedra, lycanthropes, the undead, and vampires (despite vampires already being covered by the category of “undead”). The history of Stendarr’s faithful and their battles with these four Abominations is as long and bloody as the rest of Tamriel’s history.

To a far lesser extent than the other Divines, the God of Work and Commerce, Zenithar, is also put in the position of being anti-undead. He is attributed the Mace of the Crusader (also known as the Mace of Zenithar). This Crusader’s Relic is known to turn the undead and make them flee battle for a short period of time. No further information about Zenithar’s teachings on the undead are available to the College of Whispers at this time.

While we here at the College of Whispers do not outlaw the study of necromancy or the act of being undead, it’s very important to choose a patron wisely, if you must deal with the Daedric Princes and the Eight Divines.

Sources

UESP Lore pages on the following Daedric Princes:

Azura

Clavicus Vile

Hircine

Meridia

Molag Bal

Namira

Peryite

Sanguine

Vaermina

UESP Lore pages on the following Divines:

Arkay

Dibella

Stendarr

Zenithar

Other UESP Lore pages:

Crusader's Relics

Gatekeeper of the Fringe

Mannimarco

Necromancy

Order of the Black Worm

The Four Abominations

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the-college-of-whispers · 2 years

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Interviews With the College of Whispers Staff

Arch-Mage Mazoak Bamhash

“I am a simple man. I became the Arch-Mage of the College of Whispers to protect the mages and other scholars who seek knowledge. Knowledge should not be censored based on the topic. If someone wants to learn about necromancy and the Daedra, why hide it behind more locks? It will simply get people into more trouble if they don’t have a safe place to learn and practice. My family back in Orsinium taught me how to summon my weapons from the planes of Oblivion, and I will use that ability to protect my new family here.”

Pronouns: he/him Race: Orsimer Notable Skills: Conjuration, Two-Handed

Master Wizard Leslan Khur’kern

“Me? I’m from Rihad, before it fell to the Aldmeri Dominion. I left my home and came to the College of Whispers to further my battlemage training on the magical side. I hope to help guide the College of Whispers in the future towards a deeper understanding of magic and its practical applications, whether that be in battle or in everyday life.”

Pronouns: he/him Race: Redguard Notable Skills: Destruction, One-Handed

Librarian Flips-Through-Pages “Page”

“An interview from the staff members? Of course! I am known as Flips-Through-Pages, though the students here call me Page. I was born in the Black Marsh, of course, but I consider Bravil to be my home. My parents took me there when I was young, and I spent much of my childhood dashing through the water channels with my friends. I would find all kinds of books that people just tossed out into the mud and I would bring them home to restore or transcribe. You should have seen the look on my mother’s face when I found a copy of The Lusty Argonian Maid! Ah, those were good days. And now I am here, tending to the books of this great library.”

Pronouns: they/them Race: Argonian Notable Skills: Speech

Cook S’muzi

“Ah, this one is to speak of himself? S’muzi can do that. Unlike most at this college, S’muzi does not have a grasp of magic. What S’muzi has is a magical understanding of food and cooking. Food history and cultural dishes are also of great interest to this Khajiit. If S’muzi really wanted, he could convince the Arch-Mage to let S’muzi hold a seminar on the history and development of food. What was that? Moon Sugar? No, S’muzi does not have any. Perhaps you should visit Elsweyr if you are looking for such a delicacy. Where in Elsweyr is S’muzi from? My friend, some things are to be kept secret, otherwise there would be no intrigue, no mystery. And that would be quite boring, yes?”

Pronouns: he/him Race: Khajiit Notable Skills: Alchemy

Quartermaster Ja’nara

“You have questions for Ja’nara? Khajiit is quite busy, many rooms to clean and many things to repair. Yes, Ja’nara skilled at fixing. This one could probably fix even a Dwemer machine if she were given enough time and tools. Not many things to repair back home in Cheydinhal. Ja’nara does not have skill in magic, but this one makes up for it with quick and quiet paws.”

Pronouns: she/her Race: Khajiit Notable Skills: Lockpicking, Sneak

Chief Alchemist Dathul Eldeth

“Pardon? You want to know what I’m doing here, so far from the Valus Mountains that I grew up in? Well, I teach Alchemy at this college. Sure, sometimes things explode, but that’s what happens when you deal with strange ingredients at time. That is why we practice lab safety! I work with Alteration Master Telonil Kaeire to make sure everyone has their armor spells active before we begin.”

Pronouns: he/him Race: Dunmer Notable Skills: Alchemy

Alteration Master Telonil Kaeire

“Oh, Dathul sent you to me? He’s quite sweet, thinking of me while working. What was that? What am I doing here as an Altmer when we’re usually in the Summerset Isle? Well, I was proudly born and raised in Whiterun, so no member of the Aldmeri Dominion cares much for me beyond my physical appearance. But here, I can teach Alteration more-or-less in peace and spend my free time pondering its connection to nature. Yes, yes, my fellow staff members and the other scholars of this college make fun of me for spending so much time thinking about nature, but the point of Alteration is that we follow the natural order of things, just in a very...different way. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go further my studies. Even masters are always learning, after all.”

Pronouns: he/him Race: Altmer Notable Skills: Alteration

Conjuration Master Herte God-Fang

“Oo, I just hate that smug necromancer- Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there. Yes, I’m Herte God-Fang, I teach Conjuration here at the College of Whispers. Well, actually, I teach the proper form of Conjuration, calling upon the power of Daedra in Oblivion and pulling it to our world for study and battle. Not like that no-good necromancer across the hall, Palel Jorian. Conjuration is meant to pull power from outside of life and death! As a proud Nord from Falkreath, I say that the dead are supposed to be left alone. Bad enough that there are walking draugr in every tomb back home.”

Pronouns: she/her Race: Nord Notable Skills: Conjuration

Necromancy Master Palel Jorian

“Did you hear Herte ranting the other day? My goodness, she should really step back and take a look at what she’s doing. How is pulling on the Daedra any different from pulling on the dead? Anyway, you came to ask about me, so I’ll tell you a thing or two. Necromancy is, like anything else, a tool for mages to utilize. And while I was originally from the Summerset Isle, I found a lot of interesting things in Skingrad and settled there for a good long while to hone my skills before joining this college as a teacher. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and figure out why there are dead rats in the walls when they should be undead.”

Pronouns: she/her Race: Altmer lich Notable Skills: Conjuration

Destruction Master Kelda Thurchim

“Can someone please tell me why I, the teacher of Destruction magic at this college, am the least likely person to burn the building down? This feels ironic somehow. Anyway, hello, I’m Kelda Thurchim. And no, despite how my name sounds, I am neither a woman nor am I somehow connected to the Chim phenomena. I get that question a lot, so let’s clear that up here. Other than that, I’m from Stros M’Kai, and no, I don’t miss the ocean or the beaches. Too many mudcrabs, if you ask me.”

Pronouns: they/them Race: Redguard Notable Skills: Destruction

Chief Enchanter Lamhuk gra-Draham

“I’m surprised people even need to ask about me. Enchanting services are how we make money and how we reach back out to the people of the Empire – and beyond. I’m statistically the first person most new mages to this college will meet just because I get out more. I’m always looking to teach more people about enchanting objects, because the more you do it, the better you’ll be! And while I may be an Orc, I’m no smith, so I often trade magic items from my personal collection for more unenchanted things to work with. I particularly enjoy going back to Chorrol to do these trades so I can catch up with my friends again.”

Pronouns: she/her Race: Orsimer Notable Skills: Enchanting

Illusion Master Erandar Dornstone

“Before you ask, yes, I’m a Bosmer from Valenwood. Yes, I left because of the Aldmeri Dominion. Yes, I do Illusion magic. No, it’s not magic that makes trees grow faster. No, I don’t know magic related to growing plants. And no, Illusion will not make your genitals physically bigger, they’ll just look that way until you actually use them. Yes, I do get those types of questions that often. Now if you excuse me, I have to follow Telonil around and call him a nerd for several minutes straight while neither of us have classes to teach.”

Pronouns: they/them Race: Bosmer Notable Skills: Illusion

Restoration Master Januro Vulipter

“You want to interview me for an entry about the staff here? Alright, let me think...oh, here’s something. For some reason, everyone assumes I’m going to be a woman or a priest – or both – before they get here and meet me. Just because I practice Restoration, that doesn’t mean I’m a woman nor a priest. It’s a school of magic worth studying regardless of gender. I’m from the Imperial City – I know, I know, so expected of an Imperial – and I learned magic from some of the beggars that my parents helped in their soup kitchens. I would do all the dishes and patch up any scrapes, so some of them started teaching me some spells or brought me Restoration magic tomes. I have no idea where they got them. But after a while, I decided to come here to study, and now I’m here as a teacher after thirty years. I travel back to the city regularly to help my parents with their soup kitchen and reconnect with the beggars that did so much for me. What? The Grey Fox? Don’t be silly, of course he never showed up at the kitchen. You think he’d be that easy to find?”

Pronouns: he/him Race: Imperial Notable Skills: Restoration

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